MARLENESPARZA
Born in Houston, Texas and growing up in a family that adored the sport of boxing, Marlen Esparza was destined at a young age to make a huge mark in the world of female boxing. Her introduction to the ring came at age 11 when she started babysitting her younger brother while he worked out at a local gym. Marlen then found herself asking for a chance to get in the ring, too! As any loving father and brother would be, they were reticent at first, but soon after, gave in to her thirst and hunger for the game with one condition: her success and good conduct in school was first priority.
Marlen kept her end of the bargain, and by her senior year, she was named class President and graduated with a 4.6 GPA. Her intelligence proving itself through hard work and dedication, many of the attributes that she had learned through the discipline of not only sports but more specifically her journey to be accepted as a “woman in a man’s ring (or world if you will).”
Although, she had won two Women’s Boxing U.S. National Championships (2006, 2007) and captured bronze at the 2006 World Championships, Marlen, at that point, was ready to leave boxing to attend Rice University, where she had been previously accepted. All of that changed in 2009 when the International Olympic Committee announced that women’s boxing would debut at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Soon after this announcement, Nike, Coca-Cola, and CoverGirl signed Marlen to sponsorship deals. This allowed Marlen to pivot from her job working as a dental assistant and focus more on training.
Marlen went on to win 2009, 2010, and 2011 amateur U.S. National Championships and qualified to the Olympic Games at the World Championships in China, solidifying her title as the first-ever American female boxer to ever compete in an Olympic Games. And, at the debut of women’s boxing at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Marlen brought home the bronze medal. Her original plan was to leave the sport after the Olympic Games; however, after bringing home the bronze, she realized she wasn’t quite finished with boxing.
Marlen kept her U.S. National Championship winning streak alive by taking the title in 2013, 2014, and 2015. She also took home the Gold medal at the 2014 Women’s World Championships for the first time in her career.
In 2017, Marlen turned pro, signing with Golden Boy Promotions and becoming their first-ever female pro boxer. She dominated her pro debut in March 2017 by a unanimous decision win on ESPN and is currently 7-0 in her professional career, as her third fight was a part of the Canelo vs. GGG undercard in Las Vegas.
In January 2019, Marlen welcomed her first child, Saint Diego Figueroa into the world!
She is passionate about creating a voice for women’s sports and inspiring young girls to go after their dreams, whatever they may be.